BHUBANESWAR: A Nuapada court on Friday awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) to a man for attempting to rape a 14-year-old in 2014. The Additional District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge (POCSO) Court awarded five years RI to Bhubaneswar Jagat (38) of Goimundi village and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 for the offence under section 376/511 of IPC. If the convict fails to pay the fine, he will have to undergo RI for six more months.
The court also awarded five years RI to Jagat and imposed a fine of Rs 3,000 for an offence under section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Jagat will have to undergo RI for three more months if he does not pay the fine. The sentences will run concurrently. The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) to provide a compensation of Rs 40,000 to the victim as per the provisions of the POCSO Act.
The order was pronounced by Judge Minakshi Das. The prosecution examined 13 witnesses during the trial of the case. The incident took place on June 1, 2014, when the victim went outside her house in Goimundi village to attend nature’s call. Jagat sexually assaulted the victim and attempted to rape her but she managed to flee. Khariar police had registered a case in this connection a day later.